


Dark Reign

by Mommadon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Addiction, Akuma Possession, Angst, Dark, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27090061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mommadon/pseuds/Mommadon
Summary: The fire is consuming her.  Lila Rossi wants, no, needs the power that Hawkmoth refuses to share.  She will take it, at any cost.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30
Collections: October 2020 - Dark





	Dark Reign

**Author's Note:**

> Happy October, MLB fandom! This month's theme is Dark, and so I'm diving deep into my morbid side to bring you this sinister little one shot. I hope you enjoy, all you dark and spooky horror fans out there! 
> 
> If you want to join us over on the Miraculous Fanworks Discord page, where you can get monthly themes and prompts, writing and art helps and buddies, recommendations, book club, and more, you are more than welcome!  
> [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server Invite](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks)

Lila Rossi’s legs twitched between her sheets—back and forth, back and forth—the cool fabric gliding over her shins and between her toes the only thing that soothed the fire raking up her limbs. Not real fire, no, but that itchy, painful, cruel fire that started a few days after she’d been akumatized into Chameleon and increased in intensity ever since. At first, she thought she had restless leg syndrome, but it kept getting worse. She couldn’t tell anyone about it because everyone was blissfully under the impression that Marinette had pushed her down the stairs, and she couldn’t risk being taken to the hospital for leg x-rays. 

Nearly everyone, that is. Somehow, and she didn’t know exactly how or why, Adrien hadn’t believed her. She was working on that ridiculously minute detail. Her legs twitched faster, seeking the relief that would never come. The fire had spread to her abdomen, chest, arms, and neck now. She knew, instinctively, the only thing that would fix this—if only temporarily. And so, Lila decided to do the one thing she hated more than even Marinette, Ladybug, or that stuck-up goody-two-shoes Adrien Agreste—ask for help.

It was nearly one in the morning, but she didn’t care. Her mother was hardly vigilant; getting out wouldn’t be an issue. The fire ached in her bones. She needed it, needed it desperately. It called to her. She’d tasted the sweetness and she wanted more—no, _had_ to have more. 

Lila didn’t even bother quieting her footsteps as she raced up the apartment stairs to the roof above. She _had_ to get his attention. He’d worked at night in the past; she knew a strong enough emotion would wake him, even though she doubted he was asleep. If his power made her feel this way, certainly it was even stronger for him, right? The fire inside her raced upward in a particularly painful way. His power! How she ached for it! How it fed her! But he was so careless in who he fed. Certainly, he would have learned by now that some people made better akumas than others. 

Some people were reticent. Some people—she questioned their sanity— _resisted._ Lila snorted in disgust. Why couldn’t they see the little black butterfly for what it was—a gift? A gift of strength and power. Oh, what she wouldn’t do right now for that gift again. It made her feel alive. It made her feel… well, it made her feel. People like that drama queen Marinette Dupain-Cheng seemed to have an excess of feelings, and while Lila Rossi was far superior to _her,_ she did find herself somewhat envious of Marinette’s ability to feel things. Not enough envy to actually desire feelings, no; only enough envy to wish to destroy her and her disgusting empathy. But even Marinette’s emotional tankard was nothing, _nothing_ compared to Hawkmoth’s gift. 

The first time Lila had been akumatized, she’d been too driven by spite to appreciate the depth of the power. She hated herself for her naïveté, but at least it hadn’t been a total waste. She’d gotten closer to the superheroes than most akumas could claim, and Hawkmoth had noted her value. After the second time, though, she knew better. She understood. She welcomed the butterflies and opened herself to their power. It was exhilarating, and so different when she wanted it. But it was over too soon—far too soon. She supposed that’s when she first felt the drive, the first few sparks of the fire that would quickly overshadow everything in her life, though she didn’t recognize it at the time. She just knew that she’d found her life’s calling—help him. Share the power. No— _take_ the power. Take it all. She just needed it. When she saw that errant akuma floating near the girl’s bathroom several months later, her heart had raced with thrill in a way that both confused and elated her. Lila wasn’t accustomed to feeling thrill at much anymore; years ago, when she was younger and stupider, she got a thrill out of seeing weaker people suffer. But that had faded over the years—now, she continued toying with them out of habit mostly. But the thrill of that akuma had sparked something she’d almost forgotten, and once it was hers, once she’d grabbed it and welcomed it into her earring, she knew that her world would never be the same again. She’d found the ultimate power and she would do anything to get more.

The fire had been ignited. There was no going back.

But how could she get it _now?_ The connection with Hawkmoth was never two-way, though she guessed he understood and recognized the emotions of his favorites more than those who had never been blessed with his gift. If she were really angry, she could probably get his attention. 

If she could get angry. She growled at the night sky in frustration. She hated emotions, but dang it if they didn’t come in handy sometimes! But as she looked up at the clouds obscuring the stars, she got an idea. She’d never had a problem goading others into anger. And who seemed to have the firmest connection with Hawkmoth? Who _always_ got his attention? Who _always_ got the gift, at the slightest provocation? Lila grinned to herself as her plan started forming. She was already on the roof—better still. Lila walked to the corners of the rooftop, found the quiet nest she was looking for, and with a giggle of delight, kicked it as hard as she could. Feathers and bird droppings exploded at the force and a family of bemused pigeons fell to the pavement below. A few more well-placed hits and the nest was nothing but stinky rubble. She cackled out loud, and screeched, “Ha! Ramier, did you see that? Did you _feel_ that?”

She quickly found a second pigeon nest and destroyed it even faster than she had the first. She raced over the rooftop, searching other victims to aide her quest. The birds who had already been bruised and de-homed were trilling noisily around her. Perfect. Another nest got destroyed. 

She heard the _rloo-rloo_ whistle coming over the Seine before she saw him—Mr. Pigeon, angry and pathetic, was gliding toward her on his hovercraft of birds. Lila grinned in expectation. The fire within her roared. 

“I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done—and all of Paris too!” he cried.

She only smirked and waited. Mr. Pigeon dove toward her, a torrent of birds surrounding him; she didn’t flinch. She opened her arms and welcomed it. Surprised by her odd behavior, Mr. Pigeon himself whizzed around her twice, assessing the situation. “What are you doing?” he screamed over the noisy birds.

Lila locked eyes with him, and he inched closer to figure her out. Closer, closer still, until, in one swift motion, Lila reached out and snatched the bird whistle from around his neck. It was brittle beneath her fingertips and snapped open easily. The black butterfly wriggled free, Monsieur Ramier dropped to the rooftop in a heap of feathers and pajamas, and Lila cradled her prize in her fingertips. 

“What in the world—where’s Ladybug— _wait!_ ” he screamed once he realized what was happening. “Don’t do it!”

Lila hissed at him between her teeth. “It’s mine, I won it.”

“It’ll destroy you!” he whispered, panicked. She just rolled her eyes. “No, really! I know—I feel it too! The strength, the power. I crave it too!”

She laughed maniacally, “What would you know about power? You _squander_ it. You, who have been given the gift over and over again, don’t even accept it, not fully—”

He shuddered, “Why would I accept it? Why would I want it? It’s already ruined me, even with every bit of resistance I can muster. I still feel him with me all the time, my emotions are no longer mine, I dream of being _him—”_ she understood what he was saying. The alter ego was consuming him from within. But what he didn’t understand was that was a _good_ thing. 

“I know,” she replied simply. “Embrace it. Nobody wants you to be _you_ anyway; you’re pathetic and weak and an idiot. Only the power of the akuma makes you special.” He winced. Lila smiled and inhaled the perfume of the akuma now struggling to get back to Monsieur Ramier.

“No no, my beautiful baby,” she crooned, the elation of the chase fading and now turning into a desperate ravenousness, “You’re not his. You’re _mine.”_

“Don’t do it!” Monsieur Ramier tried one last time, but it was too late. 

Lila opened her mouth and swallowed the akuma whole. “Let’s see Ladybug and Chat Noir get it away from me now!” she cackled as the akuma slid over her tongue. It wriggled within her, its tiny magical wings beating against her throat and chest. The feeling was delightful. She hummed in ecstasy as it nestled into her heart and finally accepted its place inside her. 

The icy black and purple smoke crawled across her skin, dousing the fire and filling her up with strength. She inhaled in relief as her muscles spasmed into life. Hawkmoth’s voice spoke to her in her mind, but it was muted. 

_What is this?_ she heard him query. 

She threw her head back and laughed in delight. “Hawkmoth, I am Dark Reign! I am in control now! Your akuma is mine!” As the power enhanced her limbs, Lila sighed in delight. She surrendered her emotions entirely to Hawkmoth and rode the blissful high of akumatization with glee. Her mind disconnected from reality, as if she were an onlooker and Dark Reign was an entirely different creature. It was one of her favorite things about being akumatized, actually—the blissful unawareness coupled with the wild, unrestricted strength coursing through her body. She could have everything she wanted with no repercussions. She knew she’d retain very little by way of memories of this time, so she used it carefully. She’d sprouted wings, so she flexed them twice and shivered as the air washed over her scales. Flicking her forked tongue, Lila salivated at the taste of fear in the air. She looked around and saw a pathetic little man cowering in the corner of the rooftop. Her claws made thunderous earthquakes with each step and she laughed with delight as she approached him. “Look who’s won, Ramier!” she hissed, her voice echoing off the buildings around her. “You should have been more grateful. You should have wanted it. It was only too easy to take from you, you predictable, worthless piece of—”

He shook his head sadly, “No, Lila, you don’t know it, but you’ve lost. You’ve given over your heart. There’s no going back now.”

Lila merely laughed off his lame attempt at a warning and decided against eating him alive. There was better prey out there—maybe something without feathers. Maybe something with spots. She flexed her massive wings and took off into the inky black sky.

* * *

Gabriel Agreste waited for the cover of nightfall before stoically marching from the mansion. He drove himself to the arena. Some things were best done alone. He wasn’t angry anymore. Bitter, perhaps, but not angry.

The battle had lasted for hours. Ladybug had deduced the akuma’s location only minutes after encountering Dark Reign but had refused to rip open the girl’s chest to retrieve it, so they’d fought on and on. The collateral damage piled up, until Ladybug had called her lucky charm and ended the battle in a draw. He had been infuriated at that moment. How dare she give up like that? It wasn’t her call to make—it was _his!_ At least, it should have been, if anyone had played by the rules. But eventually, he realized that it was his own fault for allowing the girl so much leeway to begin with. She’d shown promise, and he’d had a different future envisioned for her, but she’d become unstable. It was his own fault, and the time had come to rectify his mistake. So it was with bitterness, not anger, that he marched purposefully into the abandoned stadium.

The place was empty now, but he still put on a hat and dark glasses, just to be safe. His velvet tread went unnoticed as he padded into the middle of the field. There, still squirming uncomfortably, lay Dark Reign, trapped in the red-and-black spotted cage that Ladybug had produced with her Lucky Charm.

“So,” he whispered, knowing she wasn’t asleep, “was it everything you hoped for?”

Lila’s dragon-like face curled around and sneered at him, “What do _you_ want?”

“To know why you did it.”

Her yellow eyes narrowed to slits, “Why would you care? You’re nothing but a hermit who likes pretty clothes. I am Dark Reign, and one day soon, Ladybug will slip up and I will escape this cage and exact my revenge!”

Gabriel chuckled mirthlessly, “You had all day to exact your revenge, but you were incompetent. I would release you from these bars—” he ran his fingers along them and they clanged ominously— “but nothing would be different. You _lost,_ and you would lose again. If only you’d listened. If only you’d obeyed. Hawkmoth’s power is a gift that he gives; you broke it when you stole it. Now, it will never work right for you.”

“What do _you_ know about it?” she snapped, her fangs slipping between the bars, but Gabriel was too far away to reach. 

His lips stayed in a firm, straight line. “Nooroo,” he whispered, “Dark wings rise!” 

Dark Reign’s eyes widened with horror as tiny white butterflies enrobed Gabriel, and then, in a burst of light, Hawkmoth was standing before her. “Hawkmoth! Master!” she grinned, bowing her scaly neck to him.

He shook his head, “ _Now_ it calls me master,” he scolded. “Don’t you understand? It’s too late!”

She licked her fangs, “It may be too late to retrieve the akuma—that is _my_ power now, forever—but it is not too late to release me from this ridiculous prison and acknowledge me for what I am—an equal and a partner. Think of it, you and me working together! Ladybug and Chat Noir are no match for us! And after I’ve devoured them, you can have their Miraculouses, and we can hunt down the other superheroes.”

Hawkmoth’s upper lip curled back menacingly, “You stole my akuma. You stole the power. Do you think I’d just forgive that?” Dark Reign blinked her yellow eyes in confusion. “You don’t get it. I don’t want to share. I can’t share. I want it back. Give it to me.”

She threw her scaly head back and roared in laughter, “Haha! Never!”

He sighed and ran his cane along the bars of the cage. They rattled and clanged. Dark Reign cringed and curled into a ball, pulling her wings over her ears. “You don’t like that, eh?” Hawkmoth growled, “No, I didn’t think you would. That’s because this isn’t a normal cage. This is made of magic. Its sole purpose is to imprison you forever. The only thing that could destroy these bars is Cataclysm, but I don’t suspect that Chat Noir will be too eager to assist in your escape.”

She shuddered, but threw her shoulders back, “Whatever. We can destroy it—”

“ _We_ will do nothing. You are not in control here, Mademoiselle Rossi.”

“Fine!” she roared again, drawing in a huge breath, “I’ll destroy it myself!” She breathed a fireball that blasted the bars. When her reserve was spent, she licked back the flames, but the bars stood as firm as ever, infuriating with their perky black polka-dots. She clawed and beat her wings against them. They clanged their chime-like noise and she winced again, as if the sound was painful to her. She hurled herself from one side of the cage to the other. Hawkmoth stood back and watched with increasing boredom. She was undeterred, and for half an hour, maybe more, Dark Reign tried and tried to free herself from her prison. At last, she gripped the bars and screamed at him, “Hawkmoth, _help me_!”

He smiled and stepped forward. “I know how to end the magic.”

“Tell me!” she demanded, desperate for escape.

“Simple. The cage was made for Dark Reign. To stop the magic, all you have to do is relinquish your akuma.”

She recoiled, “Never.”

He sighed. “I was afraid of that. But you see, with you commandeering my akuma, I can’t release another. And since you’re no longer obeying orders…” He gave her a single, sad smile, then held up his hand, his fingers reaching through the bars toward her. 

She grasped her chest, the sensation already radiating from her heart out to her limbs—“No!” she gasped, “No, you can’t! You wouldn’t! You’ll—You’ll hurt me!”

“I daresay I will,” he said coldly, “or perhaps worse.”

He extracted the power from her by force. Lila tried to hold on to it, but it was like trying to hold back a waterfall. The power swirled in her veins, being pulled in, leaching out of her pores, abandoning her, betraying her. “No!” she screamed, “NO!”

Hawkmoth calmly recalled his akuma, which had to break its house to escape. Her screams were silenced by a horrific squelching noise as her heart collapsed, and the little white butterfly burst out of its prison. The black energy bubbled off her body, leaving Lila Rossi dead on the ground with a gaping hole in her chest.

Hawkmoth shook his head slowly, “Such a waste. Dark wings fall.” And with one more last sigh, Gabriel Agreste walked stiffly back to his car and drove himself home, looking forward to a quiet night. Perhaps, tomorrow, he would find a more powerful akuma and the Miraculouses would, at last, be his. 


End file.
